Monday Night Football Same Game Parlay: Can Austin Ekeler Get Going on MNF?
It's another Monday night in the fall which means we have Monday Night Football on tonight! Can Austin Ekeler get going on MNF? Ben Rajavuori shares an absolute banger of a Week 6 Monday Night Football Cowboys vs. Chargers same game parlay.
Ben Rajavuori - October 16, 2023, 4:42 PM EDT
7 minMonday Night Football Same Game Parlay: Can Austin Ekeler Get Going on MNF?
It's another Monday night in the fall, so that means we head over to ESPN at 8:00 PM Eastern to tune into Monday Night Football! Monday night games are always fun because it's the last game of the week, and you either got killed on Sunday and need a fresh start on Monday, or you killed it and can play with some house money on Monday night. No matter what boat you are in, I have a +900 same-game parlay from DraftKings to try and cash us in to end NFL Week 6.
Yesterday, our +1400 same-game parlay hit three out of the four legs, with the last being a Stefon Diggs touchdown, which we unfortunately did not get. With narrowly missing by one leg yesterday, we are due to hit this one tonight. Let's get into it.
Cowboys vs. Chargers Date, Time, and Where To Watch
- Date: Monday, October 16, 2023
- Game Time: 8:15 p.m. ET
- Where to Watch: ABC, ESPN
Monday Night Football Same Game Parlay
Leg 1: Cowboys -6.5 Alternate Spread
I love the Cowboys to win tonight, but I also don't mind the odds playing this up to 6.5. A touchdown is all we need to cover this alt spread, and the Cowboys have won by multiple scores in their three wins. In fact, they have not won by less than 20 in any game this season. When the Cowboys win, they win big. When they lose, they lose big. If the Cowboys win tonight, I don't see it coming down to the original -1.5 spread.
Dak should be able to throw all over this Chargers' defense tonight. The Chargers are allowing 360 yards through the air per game, which ranks 29th in the NFL. Dak is coming off a three pick game against the 49ers in which he also threw for only 153 yards. However, I expect a big bounce back from the Cowboy's offense here, given the Charger's weak defense.
The Cowboys' defensive line should be able to pressure Herbert often tonight, leading to forced throws and quicker decision-making, which is what makes the Cowboys' defense so good. I think we will see a few turnovers from the Chargers and Dak will make them pay for it. Look for the Cowboys to play with a chip on their shoulder after the embarrassing loss.
Leg 2: Brandin Cooks Over 36.5 Receiving Yards
The offense needs to get something going with Cooks. They brought him in during the offseason for a reason, and it has not shown yet. Brandin Cooks is expected to be the WR2 or 3 in this offense, but he has had no production so far. He has 73 TOTAL receiving yards on the season in four games (missing one with an injury).
However, the underlying numbers are there. He's been targeted 19 times, only catching nine of them. It hasn't been his fault, though, as he has zero drops recorded on the stat sheet this season. The offense has to get him better looks, and against a bad secondary, he should get some good looks tonight. His ADOT has dropped on the Cowboys, but tonight we could see him run a few long routes.
Ceedee Lamb will likely be getting double-teamed all night, so Cooks will find himself in one-on-one coverage several times. All he really needs to do is beat his man over the top once for this to hit. Even if he doesn't break off a big play, he has recorded at least four targets in each game this year, so we know Dak is looking his way, the connection just hasn't come yet. This is a perfect opportunity against a weaker secondary for Cooks to get going.
Leg 3: Austin Ekeler Over 32.5 Receiving Yards
Austin Ekeler returns tonight from an ankle injury that held him out since Week 1. Ekeler, for the first time in weeks, has no injury designation for tonight's game, and he is expected to be fully healthy after practicing in full the last few days. Of course, the bye week helps, as Ekeler had an extra week to heal up for this game.
With Ekeler coming back after a bye week and now being supposedly fully healthy, he should immediately make an impact in the offense. Fantasy managers know that Ekeler is always a good draft because he is one of the best receiving backs in the NFL.
Last season, Ekeler averaged 42.5 receiving yards per game. In 2021, he averaged 40.4. In 2020, he averaged 40.3. In 2019, he averaged 62.1. Since Ekeler has become the starting back, and even a little before then, he has always gotten a ton of targets through the air, both on designed routes and on dump-offs when pass blocking breaks down. The latter should be prevalent tonight.
The Chargers are facing possibly the best pass rush attack in the NFL tonight, so pressure will be on Herbert all night. Look for Ekeler to get lots of dump-offs when Parsons or Lawrence breaks through into the pocket. Ekeler had 47 receiving yards in Week 1 before getting injured. I expect another big receiving night for Ekeler in what will likely be a negative game script for the Chargers.
Monday Night Football Same Game Parlay (+900) (Bet $100 to collect $1,000) Click here to see which sportsbook has the best odds
- Leg 1: Cowboys -6.5 Alternate Spread @ +202
- Leg 2: Brandin Cooks Over 36.5 Receiving Yards @ -115
- Leg 3: Austin Ekeler Over 32.5 Receiving Yards @ -120
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